History of Adult/Community Education:1980s-Katherine Cope

History of Adult/Community Education:1980s-Katherine Cope

September 14, 2019

History of Adult/Community Education:1980s

Katherine Cope

Ball State University

EDAC 631 Adult & Community Education

September 14, 2019

Your name	Commented On
Katherine Cope	Karin Gilbert

The 1980s was a decade of change for the United States; a direct response to the dominant trends of the 1960s and 70s comparatively seen as an apathetic and laid-back approach to living (Ravitch 1990). A Republican, Ronal Reagan, defeated the incumbent Democratic president and went on to serve two terms in the oval office. Reagan's presidency, from 1981-1989, has been referred to as the "Reagan Revolution," cited as reinvigorating American morale, the U.S. economy, and reduction in reliance on government (“Ronald Reagan”, 2009).

In his presidential campaign, Reagan called for the total elimination of the U.S. Department of Education, severe curtailment of bilingual education, and massive cutbacks in the federal role of education (Clasbaugh 2004). The great social concerns of education and public health became back burner issues for the Reagan administration. His pledge to abolish the Department of Education did not gain traction, and no serious attempt was made to keep the pledge (Bauman 2018). Three years into his first term as president, Reagan created the Blue Ribbon Commission, which wrote a critical denunciation of public education titled, A Nation at Risk. A Nation at Risk charged the United States risked losing the economic competition among nations due to what was seen as mediocre education (“A Nation at Risk” 1983).

During the decade, the United States held the role of strong leadership in world affairs. Foreign policy during the 1980s was staunchly anti-communistic. Perhaps, one of the most memorable moments occurred on June 12, 1987, when in a speech from the Brandenburg Gate Reagan delivered the famous, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" speech (Robinson 2007).

The easing of tension between the Soviet Union and the U.S. brought the fear of nuclear destruction to lower levels. Scenarios of nuclear war analyzed by scholars and fed to the masses through television and movies never came to fruition (Welton 2018). The decade ended with the U.S. claiming the status of the only remaining superpower in the world.

Highlights

January 28, 1986, The Challenger Mission Disaster

Seventy-three seconds after take-off, the Challenger space shuttle combusted killing all seven astronauts on board. Killed in the disaster was Payload Specialist (non-astronaut civilian), Christa McAuliffe, the first participant in the Teacher in Space Project, a program announced by President Reagan in 1884. The program was designed to inspire students in the fields of science and math. The project was canceled following the disaster to be replaced by the Educator Astronaut Program in 1998 (Wall 2016).

September 25, 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States, was sworn in (O'Connor 2004).

June 5, 1981, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the first official report on what would come to be known as the AIDS Epidemic. Approximately 39,835 people would die from the disease during the decade (Covering the epidemic: AIDS in the news media 1996).

August 12, 1981, International Business Machines (IBM) launched its first personal computer. The launch of the personal computer and its popularity marked the beginning of what has become a billion-dollar tech industry (Madrigal 2011).

Influential Factors

William Bennett, appointed by President Reagan as the Secretary of Education, stated his goal to, "force a national debate over fundamental educational issues" (Fiske 1985). Bennett called for attention to his "three C's": content, character, and choice (Ravitch 1990). His belief of the time was that American colleges and universities were failing to educate students in the culture of which they were members. He called for new curriculums organized around a "core of common studies" including the history of Western civilization and a careful reading of several masterworks of English, American, and European literature (Fiske 1985).

In almost direct opposition to Bennett, is the influence of Kathryn Cross. Cross had two books relating to Adult Education during this period, Adults as Learners and Accent on Learning which had been published in 1976. In Accent on Learning, Cross presents the challenge of colleges to meet the educational needs of students who would not be in college if it were not for open admission policies (Cross 1976). I interpret the ideas presented by Cross in Adults as Learners as being equal to adults receiving credit for life experience. Adult learning shaped differently than that of the traditional k-12 learner, in that the adult needs a freer learning environment.

Implications

The appointment of Sandra Day O'Connor was an important milestone for women; however, there is still a long way to go. Of the 113 people to serve as Supreme Court Justices throughout its inception, only four have been women (Campisi, 2018). O'Connor retired from the bench in 2006, leaving Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan as the sitting female justices.

The release of the personal computer began what appears to be an unstoppable force of technological advancements. The technology that at one time had to be housed in buildings can now be held in the palm of our hands. The evolution of the technological age is giving education opportunities some never dreamed possible with online education being available for every age student. The future has no limitation if people are continuing to invest time, effort, and money into fresh ideas of what could be.

The educational contributions of William Bennett and Kathryn Cross, though vastly different, provide a resource of what education has been and what it can be if we are willing to step beyond the idea of what has always been and to imagine what education could be without barriers.

Table 1. Summary of the History of Adult Community Education: 1980s

Areas	Summary
Social Background	Reagan Revolution Educational Reform Foreign Policy
Highlights	Challenger Mission Disaster Supreme Court Appointment CDC report PC launch by IBM
Influential Factors	William Bennett Kathryn Cross
Implications	Equality yet to be achieved Technological advancements Educational possibilities

References

Bauman, D., Read, B. (2018). A Brief History of GOP Attempts to Kill the Education Dept. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from  https://www.chronicle.com/article/A-Brief-History-of-GOP/243739

Campisi,J., Griggs, B. (2018, September). Of the 113 Supreme Court justices in US history, all but 6 have been white men. CNN Politics. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/09/politics/supreme-court-justice-minorities-trnd/index.html

Clabaugh, G. (2004). The Educational Legacy of Ronald Reagan. Educational Horizons, 82(4), 256-259. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/42926508

Cross, K.P. (1981). Adults as Learners. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Cross, K.P. (1976). Accent on Learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Editors, History.com (2009). Ronald Reagan, produced by A&E Television Networks. Available from https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/ronald-reagan

Fiske, E., (1985, December). Reagan’s Man for Education. The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/1985/12/22/magazine/reagan-s-man-for-education.html

Ghost Bear, A. (2012, February). Technology, Learning, and Individual Differences. Journal of Adult Education, 41(2), 27-42.

Hayward, S.F., (2005, May) Reagan in Retrospect. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. Archived from the original Sept. 6, 2019.

Madrigal, Alexis (June 6, 2011). IBM’s First 100 Years: A Heavily Illustrated Timeline. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/06/ibms-first-100-years-a-heavily-illustrated-timeline/240502/

O’Connor, S.D. (2004). The Majesty of Law: Reflections of a Supreme Court Justice. New York: Random House.

Ravitch, D. (1990 January). Education in the 1980’s: A Concern for ‘Quality’:: Promising education trends offer a foundation for growth. Education Week. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/1990/01/10/09200009.h09.html

Robinson, P. (2007 June). “Tear Down This Wall” How Top Advisers Opposed Reagan’s Challenge to Gorbachev-But Lost. National Archives, 39(2). Retrieved from https://www.archives.gov/publications/plologue/2007/summer/berlin.html

United States. National Commission on Excellence in Education. (1983). A nation at risk : the imperative for educational reform : a report to the Nation and the Secretary of Education, United States Department of Education. Washington, D.C. :The Commission : [Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O. distributor].

Wall, Mike (January 28, 2016). Challenger disaster 30 years Ago Shocked the Word, Changed NASA. Retrieved from https://www.space.com/31760-space-shuttle-challenger-disaster-30-years.html

Welton, M. (2018, February). 1980s From Star Wars to the End of the Cold War. Counterpunch, 39(2). Retrieved from https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/02/21/1980s-from-star-wars-to-the-end-of-the-cold-war/